Monkeys, bananas and 3-D movies.

I long ago accepted the fact that many people are stupid and are not even concerned about their stupidity. For the most part, I can overlook the mistakes, errors, misquotes, malapropisms, anachronisms and just plain faulty thinking. But there are three misspeaks which always irritate me because they are all inexcusable. One is the use of the term monkey when one is obviously talking about apes. Chimpanzees are not monkeys, they are great apes. So as far back as the movie Monkey Business this has been a popular and annoying error. To this day newscasters use monkey puns any time there is a story about great apes. Commercial advertisers don't seem to know the difference nor do the writers of sitcoms. The worst thing is it's not that difficult: an organ grinders has a monkey; Tarzan had a great ape. Another universal error that pushes my buttons is when people refuse to pronounce plantains correctly. The word is plan-tins, like mountains and fountains. Not only do most people say plan-tanes, but they correct me when I pronounce it correctly. Boy does that make a cranky person crankier. And finally let it be known that since the first 3-D movies of the 50s: Man in the Dark, Charge at Feather River, The House of Wax, the glasses were single-toned Polarized lenses. At the same time 3-D comic books, magazines and bubble-gum cards were viewed with cheaper glasses using two different colored cellophane lenses. Never, ever, ever, ever did one view a movie in a theater with bi-colored glasses. Yet, that is what is suggested in countless ads and photos depicting the 50s like the staged absurdity above. You know what's great about having a blog? You can bitch about anything that you like. Or, to be more accurate, don't like.